I will not speak on behalf of other home bakers but for myself, let me count the ways...
Since I am just a "small" homebaker, I do not purchase stocks in bulk. Furthermore, when I shop for my ingredients, I shop like when I bake for my own family - not customers, not even friends. I personally do not believe in "cutting cost" to gain more profit. I personally would not buy ingredients I am not fa
miliar about. I would not jeopardize my name, and my product's "quality" just so I can give my friends/buyers something at a lower cost but uses inferior ingredients. When I say my frosting is BUTTERCREAM, it means I used REAL butter. Not butter compound. For the knowledge of some who aren't familiar, the only REAL butter in the market is Anchor, Magnolia Gold, Queensland, Lurpak (Danish butter), Elle and Vire (french butter) etc. Dairy Creme is not butter. Baker's best is not butter. Golden crown is not butter. Butterfresh is not butter. Dairy Magic is NOT butter. There is no real butter out there which costs 75 pesos below. When I say "Oreo" cream cheese cookies, I use OREOs. I do not use crushed Creme-Os or "Oreo substitutes". When I say CHEESEcake or CREAM CHEESE frosting, it is 100% made from REAL cream cheese. Real cream cheese IS different from Cream cheese spread. Cream cheese (those bought in blocks) - is 100% through and through. Cream cheese spreads - however - have some additives which lessens the cream cheese percentage. When I say my specific cookies have Hersheys chips, they are 100% Hersheys. You can bet your sweet tooth there is not a drop of generic chocololate chips in there. Not. drop
When I say my Oatmeal cookies are made from Quaker oatmeal, they ARE made from 100% old-fashioned rolled Oats from Quaker. I not use quick cooks or instant oatmeal even from Quaker itself. When I say they are made from Nutella. They ARE made from Nutella. From Crumpy. From real whole hazelnuts (which I personally roast!)
And real whole WALNUTS. With that said, you can just refer me as your own personal panadera. haha. I bake by YOUR request. You want Hersheys Reese's peanut butter chips instead of the traditional ones, you got it! (as long as I can grab a bag of it and is available in my pantry)
I bake passion first. I love baking and thats why I do it in the FIRST place. I enjoy baking 100% Quality stuff that I wont be afraid nor hesitant to eat myself nor let my son have it ~
"All good things are difficult to achieve; and 'bad' things are very easy to get", in baking quotes would translate to:
"Good cakes aren't cheap; cheap cakes arent good"
(Disclaimer: that is not my own quote) ~